Rita Lee Swanson

1945 - 2023

Rita Lee (Soffern) Swanson
September 20, 1945 - January 25, 2023
Bellingham, Washington – With deep sadness, we share the news of Rita Lee Swanson's death, age 77. Our wife, mother, and grandmother died under the grace of Hospice care at St. Joseph Hospital, January 25, 2023, with her loving husband and two of her loving daughters by her side. Her struggle with myelodsyplastic leukemia was brief but courageous.
Born September 20, 1945, in Pittsburg, PA, the daughter of Milton Aaron and Rosalyn Sonya (Wesoky) Soffern, she moved with her parents to Los Angeles in 1962, leaving behind Taylor Allderdice High School. After arriving in Los Angeles she entered Grant High School, from which she graduated in 1963. Rita subsequently attended Los Angeles Valley College where she completed studies and then passed the "state boards" to become a Registered Nurse. Some years later, after passing the state boards in Washington, she completed her BSN and MSN degrees at Pacific Lutheran University. Among other locations, she worked at St. Joseph Hospital in Tacoma and Western State Hospital in Steilacoom, which served to sharpen her interest in mental health nursing.
With her four daughters and parents present, Rita married Dr. David A. Swanson in Spanaway, Washington in June of 1988. With him she resided in many places and visited many countries. Among her favorite residences were Little Rock, AR and Mikkeli, Finland. Among her favorite countries were Australia, Belize, Germany, Israel, Italy, Malaysia, Morocco, Singapore, and Sweden. She also visited many places in the Pacific Northwest. Stays at Kalaloch Lodge on the Olympic peninsula and the Empress Hotel in Vancouver, BC provided her with special memories as did salmon fishing on the Salish Sea and in Alaska.
After David's retirement in 2018, they settled in Bellingham, WA, with their dog, Sofia, while keeping a winter home in Las Vegas, NV. In Bellingham, they enjoyed the company of friends and acquaintances through the Northwest Citizen "writers" group, gatherings at Nelson's Market/Marlin Café, and baseball games at Civic Field.
Rita served as a Girl Scout troop and summer camp leader for many years, sharing her love of nature, crafting, cooking, food preserving, and singing with her daughters and many other girls. She also served as member of the Advisory Board of Caring Nurses, a home healthcare agency in Las Vegas, NV. She was a member of the American Association of University Women and a strong supporter of education and public broadcasting.
Predeceased by her parents, Rita is survived by her husband, David Swanson; and daughters: Nikole Hecklinger (Mike) of Seattle, WA and granddaughter, Rosalyn; Danielle Spurrell of Las Vegas, NV; Gabrielle Peterson (Dave) of Las Vegas, NV and grandchildren, Emily and Jacob; and Brittany Delos Santos (Herb) of Las Vegas, NV, and grandchildren, Alistair and Ava.
A shivah minyan was held in her memory on January 29th, 2023 in Seattle, WA at the home of her daughter, Nikole Hecklinger. A commemoration of the ending of shloshim was held at the home of Lucky and Loretta Tedrow in Ferndale, WA on February 25th, 2023.
Celebrations of her life will be held during May of this year in Las Vegas, NV and during June in Seattle, WA.
In lieu of flowers, donations in remembrance can be made to the Girl Scouts of America (https://www.girlscouts.org/ ) as well as whole blood and platelets to regional blood banks, such as Bloodworks Northwest (https://www.bloodworksnw.org/ ).